Company car

Author
Discussion

Legacywr

Original Poster:

12,111 posts

188 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
I have always had a company car, but, I also understand that I could take an allowance instead?

I'd like to approach the other directors regarding this, but I'd like to know the facts, and pros and cons before I do so. smile

My current situation is this, I have a deposit on a Focus RS, but the BIK would be around £140 per week frown

If I do stick with a company car, I'd get a 330e BMW, which would £40 per week!

Eric Mc

121,979 posts

265 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
An allowance is just extra salary - so it will be subject to income tax, Employer's AND Employee's NI.

A company car is subject to tax and Employer's Class 1A NI.

Jockman

17,917 posts

160 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Apologies for the daft question but is the £140 the P11D figure? ie you would pay x% tax on it.

Furthermore, how do you acquire your company cars? Contract Hire?

It has been 10 years since I was daft enough to take a company car.....

Legacywr

Original Poster:

12,111 posts

188 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Yes, that's the P11D effect on my income, so that' £140 out of my weekly pay.

We normally buy our cars outright, but with a battery powered car, it may be best to lease it?

Jockman

17,917 posts

160 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
It was actually 2010 when I last did the Beamers, so 6 years ago. We always did contract hire so they never showed up as assets as you never owned them.

The advantage in those days was that payments were allowable for tax relief and it was the only way we knew of to claim back 50% of the Vat element.

Times may have changed.

PurpleMoonlight

22,362 posts

157 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Legacywr said:
Yes, that's the P11D effect on my income, so that' £140 out of my weekly pay.

We normally buy our cars outright, but with a battery powered car, it may be best to lease it?
That doesn't sound right.

A Focus ST is £25,000 odd.
BIK is 28% so £7000
Tax at 40% is £2800 pa

JQ

5,737 posts

179 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
But he's not getting a Focus ST.

PurpleMoonlight

22,362 posts

157 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
JQ said:
But he's not getting a Focus ST.
Well spotted.

£30000
32% - £9600
40% - £3840

Sheepshanks

32,747 posts

119 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
PurpleMoonlight said:
Well spotted.

£30000
32% - £9600
40% - £3840
He must be getting fuel too, which would put it at ball-park the amount he said.



Legacywr

Original Poster:

12,111 posts

188 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Yes, I get fuel too, and the RS was about 34k in the spec I ordered.

Legacywr

Original Poster:

12,111 posts

188 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Yes, I get fuel too, and the RS was about 34k in the spec I ordered.

Sheepshanks

32,747 posts

119 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Legacywr said:
Yes, I get fuel too, and the RS was about 34k in the spec I ordered.
What kind of business and private mileage do you do? That's probably the biggest factor is deciding whether opting out makes sense.

bogie

16,381 posts

272 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Unless you do a serious amount of private mileage and value having a new car, I never manage to get a company car to work out in favour

For the last 18 years ive had car allowance plus fuel paid, and used the allowance to buy my own cars, a few years old

You get to drive twice the car for your money and own something when its paid for, you can sell or run for a few more years whilst pocketing the cash

If you get your personal fuel paid then you can also choose to drive big V8 petrols too smile

As always with this cash versus car thing, you have to do the math for your circumstances....

try www.comcar.co.uk for comparison tool

Sheepshanks

32,747 posts

119 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
bogie said:
If you get your personal fuel paid then you can also choose to drive big V8 petrols too smile
It's not like you get the fuel free - it's a taxable benefit so the value of it is effectively added to your salary.

On Focus RS the OP would be paying about £55/wk in tax on private fuel. That's only a tankful a week - easily done in a Focus RS, I'd imagine. And if he wears the front tyres out every 3 months he gets those free too.

bogie

16,381 posts

272 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
bogie said:
If you get your personal fuel paid then you can also choose to drive big V8 petrols too smile
It's not like you get the fuel free - it's a taxable benefit so the value of it is effectively added to your salary.

On Focus RS the OP would be paying about £55/wk in tax on private fuel. That's only a tankful a week - easily done in a Focus RS, I'd imagine. And if he wears the front tyres out every 3 months he gets those free too.
Yes, I know, you pay the tax on it...still cheap

With a company car you pay fuel tax based on Co2 , so you can minimise it if you buy something small and diesel

You can also claim back you business mileage at 45p for the first 10K and 25p thereafter

I did have a co car with maintenance once, and used to do trackdays. After the first couple of sets of tyres were gone in a few thousands miles they forced me to get a minimum of 5k miles out of a set....so there are some small benefits to a company car with maintenance wink


Sheepshanks

32,747 posts

119 months

Friday 15th April 2016
quotequote all
bogie said:
Yes, I know, you pay the tax on it...still cheap
It could be far cheaper to have it included with your company car and just pay the BIK - it's "all you can use" then. If you're office based then it would take much a commute to break even and some of guys were doing hefty private mileages.

bogie said:
With a company car you pay fuel tax based on Co2 , so you can minimise it if you buy something small and diesel
Oh joy. Anyway OP really wants a Focus RS.

PurpleMoonlight

22,362 posts

157 months

Saturday 16th April 2016
quotequote all
bogie said:
With a company car you pay fuel tax based on Co2 , so you can minimise it if you buy something small and diesel

You can also claim back you business mileage at 45p for the first 10K and 25p thereafter
No you can't.

The 45p is for use of your own vehicle.


Jockman

17,917 posts

160 months

Saturday 16th April 2016
quotequote all
PurpleMoonlight said:
No you can t.

The 45p is for use of your own vehicle.
Correct. The only claim on a company car is if you pay for the fuel for business miles. Even then it can be as low as 8p and gets reviewed every 3 months.

Sheepshanks

32,747 posts

119 months

Saturday 16th April 2016
quotequote all
Jockman said:
PurpleMoonlight said:
No you can t.

The 45p is for use of your own vehicle.
Correct. The only claim on a company car is if you pay for the fuel for business miles. Even then it can be as low as 8p and gets reviewed every 3 months.
I'm sure bogie knows that - he's promoting the virtue of opting out in this thread. He just made several separate points in that post which aren't linked together.

bogie

16,381 posts

272 months

Saturday 16th April 2016
quotequote all
PurpleMoonlight said:
bogie said:
With a company car you pay fuel tax based on Co2 , so you can minimise it if you buy something small and diesel

You can also claim back you business mileage at 45p for the first 10K and 25p thereafter
No you can't.

The 45p is for use of your own vehicle.
Yeah I meant with your own vehicle, if you take the cash allowance instead of the car

I guess the key question is what is the value of the cash alternative, and the split of business to personal. You are going to get paid for business miles either way, and few people do 30k business miles then another 20K personal mileage, so any personal fuel benefit is not usually huge in cash value, more a perceived benefit.

The OP should go on www.comcar.co.uk and get the BIK figures which obviously are more for a 40% tax payer

It all depends on cash alternative. £500 a month cash and it might be a borderline decision £850 a month cash allowance, and Id take the cash instead

Edited by bogie on Saturday 16th April 11:23